Pocket



Sept. 8, 1942. w. J. PO'QI'TER POCKET Fiied June 5, 1941 INVENTOR 1 Wendel! J Poi/er /.7 Q Z I WI 7 ATToR lfiE S Patented Sept. 8, 1942 POCKET Wendell J. Potter, Norwa'lk, Conn, assignor to R. T. Vanderbilt Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 5, 1941, Serial No. 396,671

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in the free hanging pockets conventionally used as the side pockets in trousers. These pockets are conventionally formed of a folded fabric blank, the two sides of the fold being joined by a seam extending from the fold across the pocket and then, generally parallel to the fold, to the lower end of the pocket opening. In trousers, the top of the pocket is stitched to the band at the top of the trousers and the two sides of the fold, separately hemmed above the lower end of the pocket opening, are stitched to the trouser fabric around the pocket opening. For many years the makers and the wearers of trousers have struggled with the problem of wear involved when such pockets are used to carry coins, keys and the like. This type of pocket, for this use, is desirable in every other respect, but no one has as yet provided a pocket 'of this type which will Withstand the peculiar conditions of wear to which such pockets are subjected. For example, the replacement of such pockets is a frequent task in every small tailoring establishment, and notion stores generally carry replacement pockets as a regular item of merchandise. The replacement of the pocket, when worn, would be a burden, but, in addition to involving the risk of real loss, such wear frequently releases the contents of the pocket under embarrassing conditions. My invention provides a free hanging pocket which will last at least as long as any ordinary pair of trousers.

I have studied this problem by suspending such conventional free hanging pockets in a shaking frame while loaded with metal disks in weight, size and number simulating the contents of such pockets in use. As a result of this research I have discovered the reason for the rapid wear of such pockets when carrying such items. The seam joining the two sides of the folds, usually a French seam, stiffens the lower end of the pocket and provides a fulcrum across which coins, keys or the like, tend to rock. As a result the edges of the coins, for example, tend to move in short arcs against the fabric in about the same general area. This area is limited both by the sizes of the coins, which have been substantially uniform for some time in this country, and by the dimensions of the pocket, particularly the width of the pocket. The width of the pocket, normal to the fold, tends to determine the extent to which the bottom of the'pocket flattens when loaded with coins, keys or the like. The resulting concentration of this rather severe cutting action is the reason for the rapid failure of the conventional free hanging pocket in service.

A number of proposals have been made intended to solve this problem but, to date, none of them has proved a practical success. Proposals involving changes in the general pocket structure have not been accepted because they deprived the user of the advantages of the free hanging pocket. Proposals involving the substitution of heavier fabric or specially surfaced fabric or other material such as rubber sheeting for the fabric of which the pocket is made have proved unsatisfactory because, as ordinarily used in trousers, they inhibit ventilation and evapora tion of body moisture from parts of the body with respect to which elementary requirements of comfort impose contrary conditions. Proposals involving the use of specially woven and fitted fabrics involve similar difficulties and also involve increase in cost which would deprive many of their use even if they were otherwise satisfactory.

As a result of my investigation I have devised a modification of the conventional free hanging pocket which preserves all of its advantages and which eliminates this problem of wear without subjecting the wearer to any new difficulties or discomforts. This free hanging pocket of my invention is formed in the conventional manner, but in addition a rubber coating is applied to the inner surfaces of the folded sides along the seams extending a distance approximating one-fourth of the width of the pocket from the seam on each side. A very light rubber coating afiords sufficient additional resistance to the abrasion or cutting previously mentioned to multiply the life of the pocket many times. By restricting the coating to the area mentioned, the area which I have found to be the area in which this particular type of wear is concentrated, the weight of the pocket is not perceptibly increased and its general physical properties, flexibility and feel, remain substantially unchanged. Likewise, by this restriction, any interference with ventilation or evaporation of body moisture is avoided. The cost of this restricted rubber coating, and of its application, can be kept very low.

A pocket embodying my invention is illustrated, diagrammatically, in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 shows a free hanging pocket embodying my invention from the side as suspended in use with parts cut away, Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 22 of Figure 1, Figur 3 is an enlarged section on line 3-3 of Figure 1 prior to finishing of the seam,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 44 of Figure 1 and Figure 5 is an enlarged section similar to Figure 4 but showing a modified seam.

The pocket illustrated is formed by folding a fabric blank on line 6, the original fold being the reverse of that illustrated in Figure 1, stitching from the lower end of this fold, point 1, across the pocket and then generally parallel to the fold to the lower end of the pocket opening, point 8, reversing the pocket so that this seam assumes the configuration illustrated in Figure 3 and then again stitching along the same line, from point I to point 8 to form a French seam either as illustrated at point 9 in Figure 4 or as illustrated at II] in Figure 5. The sides of the pocket opening are hemmed as illustrated in Figure 2. The restricted rubber coating of my invention is applied to the inner surfaces of the folded sides along the seam, from point 1 approximately to point 8, extending a distance approximating onefourth of the width of the pocket from the seam on each side. The area over which this rubber coating is applied corresponds, for example, to the area, on each side of the inside of the pocket, from the line I I, I2 to the seam extending across the pocket from point 1. The width of this strip of rubber coating, from point M3 to point l4, ap-

proximates one-fourth the width of the pocket normal to the fold 6. This rubber coating is easily and economically applied over the restricted area by reversing the pocket, dipping the lower end of the pocket, to the proper point, in a liquid dispersion of an appropriate rubber composition, then drying or vulcanizing the composition to form the rubber coating, and then again reversing the pocket.

Any rubber chemist can compound appropriate compositions for producing the rubber coating in endless variety and the particular composition used for producing the rubber coating is not characteristic of my invention. However, the following composition is advantageous for the purpose and will illustrate the general types useful in my invention: A vulcanizing dispersion is prepared by dispersing, in 5.36 parts (by weight) of Water in a ball mill, 3 parts of zinc oxide, 1

part of sulfur, 1 part of zinc diethyl dithiocarbamate, 1 part of dibetanaphthyl paraphenylenediamine, 0.24 part of a sodium salt of polymerized polyaryl sulfonic acids (or other appropriate dispersing agent), 0.30 part of casein and 0.10 part of caustic soda. This dispersion, together with titanium dioxide and kayara gum predispersed in water, are then added to latex concentrated for example to about 60% solids, the total water being adjusted to dilute the mixture to about by weight of solids. For example, the composition may be 100 parts (by weight excluding water) of rubber as latex, 6.64 parts of the vulcanizing dispersion previously described, 10 parts of titanium dioxide (by weight excluding Water) and 1.5 parts of karaya gum with sufiicient water to dilute the total mixture to about 45% by weight of solids. After applying this composition to the pocket as previously described, the rubber coating is dried and vulcanized by heating for about 30 minutes at 200 F. and the surface is rendered non-tacky by dipping the dried and vulcanized rubber coating in a dilute aqueous solution of bromine or sodium bromide.

Tests of the improved pocket of my invention, carried out in the same manner as the tests I carried out in making the investigation of the nature and causes of this extreme wear previously described demonstrated that the life of the improved free hanging pocket of my invention was at least fivefold the life of the same pocket without my restricted rubber coating.

I claim:

A free hanging pocket formed of a folded piece of fabric, the two sides of the fold being joined by a seam extending from the fold across the pocket and then generally parallel to the fold to the lower end of the pocket opening, with a rubber coating applied to the inner surfaces of the folded sides along the seam at the bottom of the pocket, said coating being limited to an area extending a distance approximating one-fourth the width of the pocket from said seam on each side.

WENDELL J. POTTER. 

